My holiday season was different this year. There were many stumbling blocks, stressors, and confusion, but I experienced a small Christmas Miracle in the end!
Nothing this season seemed to go the way I wanted. Thanksgiving didn’t go as planned, and we spent it alone, trying to cope with the stress it created.
Then a couple of weeks later, my husband slipped on some ice and broke several ribs. More added stress!
Little did I realize that I was taking my stress and apprehension into my workspace. I was getting confused, overworked, and feeling like I was losing control. But I plodded on with the days as Christmas was approaching.
By Christmas week, my mind was racing, trying to coordinate all the activities, work, and the coming celebrations. Then the severe weather hit us. How was I going to pull this off?
How was I, I thought, going to figure this all out? My daughter and grandson could not celebrate with us, partly due to the weather. She was dealing with some visitation issues with my grandson’s father. It didn’t fit into our plans. And, of course, with children, step-children, and grandkids having different needs during the holidays, I realized I was working too hard to put this all together.
So I stopped, decided I was trying too hard, and just accepted what was happening. (Why it took so long to figure that out is beyond me!) If I didn’t see who I wanted to see at Christmas, I would not die!
Immediately after making that decision, the stress and tension lifted
Of course, after I stopped trying to control everything, I realized that Spirit was in control and I was just getting in the way!
After that, my work got more manageable, my life seemed happier, and I started enjoying the holidays.
Not all of the family would be together on Christmas, but it would be okay to be with them another day.
One of my biggest disappointments was that I would not be able to spend time with my 9-year-old grandson — he would be with his father for an undetermined time. So, instead of fretting, like I had been doing, I rescheduled time with my daughter, his mother, after Christmas. While at our meeting place, she got a phone call that her son, my grandson, was on the way. He showed up just in time, and we had a mini-Christmas on the 27th.
The rest of the family is coming down near New Year’s Day!
So, not only did we get to spend time with everyone, we got to enjoy several days of celebration. And that, along with my change in attitude, turned out to be my Christmas Miracle!